Methods and systems for interactive video transport over Ethernet networks

• US 8,832,755 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2007
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Inventors: Gazier, Michael A., Ghodrat, Morteza, Duncan, Ian H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Featherstone, Mark D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malangone, Carmine
• Application Number:
  US11/796,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20080271096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,689 Days
• Field of Search: 725 14-104, 725/116, 709/219, 709/231, 709/245
• US Class Current: 725/93
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26616 for merging a unicast channel into a multicast channel, e.g. in a VOD application, when a client served by unicast channel catches up a multicast channel to save bandwidth data multicast over packet-switching network H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and systems to remove the dependence on the IP layer (OSI layer three) in Video-on-Demand (VoD) transport networks. The present invention replaces the IP layer with Ethernet layer two addressing and even layer one, allowing connectivity in access/aggregation networks without IP layer three capabilities. The present invention enables STBs to communicate with VoD controllers, servers, and the like at layer two and/or layer one, eliminating the need for layer three routing capabilities in access/aggregation networks.

Claims

1. A method for transporting video, comprising:

operating a Video-on-Demand transport network at an Internet Protocol (IP) layer on top of other layers;

receiving a request for network-based content located in the Video-on-Demand transport network, the request comprising an IP address, wherein the Video-on-Demand transport network comprises a Video-on-Demand controller operating at the Internet Protocol layer, wherein the request comprises Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) multiplexing data;

providing an Ethernet address responsive to the request for content from the Video-on-Demand controller, wherein the Ethernet address comprises the Ethernet address of the network-based content at an Ethernet layer, and wherein a pointer to the network-based content is changed from the IP address to the Ethernet address;

accessing the network-based content over an access/aggregation network with the Ethernet address at the Ethernet layer;

providing the network-based content using a unique EtherType field in Ethernet frames for the network-based content thereby encapsulating MPEG directly over Ethernet; and

monitoring Ethernet to IP mapping at the Video-on-Demand Controller operating at the IP layer to gather Ethernet statistics of the providing step by the Video-on-Demand controller;

wherein the network-based content is connected to the access/aggregation network via one of a layer two or layer one connection and the access/aggregation network is not IP-aware, the method thereby allowing the network-based content to be accessed through the Video-on-Demand controller via only the Ethernet address while the Video-on-Demand controller operates at the IP layer.

2. The method for transporting video of claim 1, wherein the network-based content comprises any of Video-on-Demand, Internet Protocol Television, broadcast television, and Pay-Per-View.

3. The method for transporting video of claim 1, wherein the receiving step comprises a controller providing the Ethernet address for a server, wherein the server is configured to provide the network-based content to a user.

4. The method for transporting video of claim 3, wherein the server is located in the access/aggregation network.

5. The method for transporting video of claim 3, wherein the controller is located in a core network, wherein the core network includes both Internet Protocol and Ethernet capabilities.

6. The method for transporting video of claim 3, wherein the controller is accessed directly through Ethernet only through one of an extended version of 802.1 Generic Attribute Registration Protocol (GARP), a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), and a provided Ethernet address.

7. The method for transporting video of claim 1, wherein the request for content comes from a set-top box;

and

wherein a key is provided by one of Session Description Protocol and an Electronic Program Guide responsive to the content request, the key comprises the Ethernet Address.

8. The method for transporting video of claim 1, wherein the access/aggregation network utilizes Carrier Ethernet, wherein Carrier Ethernet comprises one or more of Optical Transport Network (OTN), Media Access Control-in-Media Access Control (MAC-in-MAC), Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) queue-in-queue (Q-in-Q), Provider Backbone Transport, and combinations thereof.

9. The method for transporting video of claim 1, wherein the accessing step comprises any of MPEG, Windows Media Video, Flash Video, MPEG-4, DivX and File Transfer Protocol over Ethernet directly.

10. A method for transporting video over layer two or layer one networks, comprising:

operating a Video-on-Demand transport network at an Internet Protocol (IP) layer on top of other layers;

receiving an Internet Protocol address for network-based content responsive to a request for content located in the Video-on-Demand transport network, wherein the Video-on-Demand transport network comprises a Video-on-Demand controller operating at the IP layer, wherein the request comprises Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) multiplexing data;

mapping the Internet Protocol address to an Ethernet address, wherein the Ethernet address comprises the Ethernet address of the network-based content at an Ethernet layer, and wherein a pointer to the network-based content is changed from the IP address to the Ethernet address to accommodate an access/aggregation network operating only at the Ethernet layer;

accessing the network-based content over the access/aggregation network with the Ethernet address;

providing the network-based content using a unique EtherType field in Ethernet frames for the network-based content thereby encapsulating MPEG directly over Ethernet; and

monitoring Ethernet to IP mapping at the Video-on-Demand Controller operating at the IP layer to gather Ethernet statistics of the providing step by the Video-on-Demand controller, wherein one Ethernet address is reserved per video flow to provide one-to-one error tracking for operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM);

wherein the network-based content is connected to the access/aggregation network via one of a layer two or layer one connection and the access/aggregation network is not IP-aware, the method thereby allowing the network-based content to be accessed through the Video-on-Demand controller via only the Ethernet address while the Video-on-Demand controller operates at the IP layer.

11. The method for transporting video over layer two networks of claim 10, wherein the receiving step comprises a controller providing an Internet Protocol address for a server, wherein the server is configured to provide the network-based content to a user.

12. The method for transporting video over layer two networks of claim 11, wherein the server is located in the access/aggregation network.

13. The method for transporting video over layer two networks of claim 11, wherein the controller is located in a core network, wherein the core network includes both Internet Protocol and Ethernet capabilities.

14. The method for transporting video over layer two networks of claim 11, wherein the controller is accessed directly through Ethernet only through one of an extended version of 802.1 Generic Attribute Registration Protocol (GARP), a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), and a provided Ethernet address.

15. The method for transporting video over layer two networks of claim 10, wherein the request for content comes from a set-top box;

and

wherein a key is provided by one of Session Description Protocol and an Electronic Program Guide responsive to the content request, the key comprises the Ethernet Address.

16. The method for transporting video over layer two networks of claim 10, wherein the access/aggregation network utilizes Carrier Ethernet, wherein Carrier Ethernet comprises one or more of Optical Transport Network (OTN), Media Access Control-in-Media Access Control (MAC-in-MAC), Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) queue-in-queue (Q-in-Q), Provider Backbone Transport, and combinations thereof.

17. The method for transporting video over layer two networks of claim 10, wherein the accessing step comprises any of MPEG, Windows Media Video, Flash Video, MPEG-4, DivX and File Transfer Protocol over Ethernet directly.

18. An access/aggregation network configured for video transport, comprising:

one or more network elements connected to one or more users forming a Video-on-Demand transport network at an Internet Protocol (IP) layer on top of other layers, wherein one of the one or more users requests content from a controller; and

a server connected to one of the one or more network elements via one of a layer two or layer one connection such that connections between the one or more network elements and the server are not IP-aware, wherein the server comprises content, and wherein the server is configured to be addressed via an IP Address in the Video-on-Demand transport network;

wherein the controller provides an address responsive to content requests, wherein the content requests comprise Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) multiplexing data;

wherein the address comprises an Ethernet Address of the server;

wherein the content is retrieved from the server with the IP Address mapped to the Ethernet Address by the server thereby allowing the content to be accessed from the server only via the Ethernet address while the server operates at the IP layer;

wherein a pointer to the network-based content is changed from the IP address to the Ethernet address by the server;

wherein the content is provided using a unique EtherType field in Ethernet frames thereby encapsulating MPEG directly over Ethernet; and

wherein the server operating at the IP layer is configured to monitor Ethernet to IP mapping to gather Ethernet statistics, wherein one Ethernet address is reserved per video flow to provide one-to-one error tracking for operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM).

19. The access/aggregation network configured for interactive video transport of claim 18, wherein the one of the one or more users request content through a set-top box connected to the access/aggregation network;

and

wherein a key is provided by one of Session Description Protocol and an Electronic Program Guide responsive to the content request, the key comprises the Ethernet Address.

20. The access/aggregation network configured for interactive video transport of claim 19, wherein the access/aggregation network utilizes Carrier Ethernet, wherein Carrier Ethernet comprises one or more of Optical Transport Network (OTN), Media Access Control-in-Media Access Control (MAC-in-MAC), Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) queue-in-queue (Q-in-Q), Provider Backbone Transport, and combinations thereof.